Joe Lutz
"No matter what form they take, all human encounters are decided by fate, so I devote myself entirely to all those I meet, though it be but a moment in our lives.” - Joe to Van & Wendy Joe Lutz was the owner of the island and resort, La Vie en Rose. He showed kindness to Van & Wendy when they were marooned on his island, although his intentions were not all as they seemed. Appearance Joe was a presentable man with grey hair and amber eyes. He usually wore a grey suit and dark brown undershirt. He also wore square glasses. His outward appearance is that of a refined gentleman of leisure, who is welcoming and unassuming. History In the past, Joe had witnessed numerous wars and tragedies within The Endless Illusion. Many of his friends had died and some he had buried with his own hand. His life changed forever when he joined The Claw whom he called "Comrade". His "Comrade" promised a better world for him, and gifted him the armor, Golden Cradle. Joe purchased an island which he christened "La Vie en Rose" and built a luxury resort for entertaining guests. The Vengeance Within: Joe comes across Van & Wendy stranded on the shore of his island. He welcomes them and takes them to his resort. He tells them he owns the island which he named La Vie en Rose. There won't be another boat at the island for 10 days so he offers to let Van & Wendy stay with him, as the island is empty except the staff. In the evening Joe has dinner with Van & Wendy. He tells them he is utilizing his contacts, checking nearby ports for anyone resembling The Claw or Michael. Both Van & Wendy are grateful. Later, Van & Joe have a drink on the pier, with Joe asking Van about his desire to find The Claw. Van tells him what The Claw did to him, and Joe is sympathetic. Joe warns him though that his pursuit of revenge will result in nothing. The next day, Joe and Wendy play a game of tennis. Joe compliments Wendy on her skills and asks her about her brother. He tells her that her brother is likely okay, as there would be no point in The Claw kidnapping Michael unless he needed him. This relieved Wendy, but Joe tells her that she would have a better chance of finding him is she returned home. This starts to convince Wendy that maybe she should return to Evergreen, as her brother would expect to find her there waiting for him. That evening, Joe & Van play a game of pool together. Joe tells Van about his past; how many of his friends died and were buried by his own hand, how some enemies are now allies. He warns Van that his pursuit of revenge would be a dishonor to Van's late wife, Elena, but Van is undeterred. Van loses the game of pool and in frustration, has a glass of wine. Joe then lays a sheet over a passed out Van, warning him that pursuing his revenge will cause his own destruction. The next day he convinces Wendy to return home to Evergreen. Later, Joe has dinner with Van and tells him Wendy plans to return home. Van is shocked by this and doesn't believe him. Joe tells Van that he should consider his own happiness, and that being a slave to his desire for revenge will only result in Van's own destruction. Unfortunately, Van is able to see through Joe's misdirection confronts him on the beach. Joe reveals to Van his intentions of keeping Van on the island forever to keep him away from his Comrade. He then summons his armor, Golden Cradle and faces off against Van riding Dann. During their fight, Joe initially has the upper hand and mocks Van, asking how he could possibly defeat Joe's Comrade with such weakness. He tells Van that his Comrade's vision is just and true, and will bring a new era of peace. He criticizes Van for clinging to the past. Van is undeterred and warns Joe that he will get information out of Joe about The Claw. Joe is amused by this and they continue that battle, with Van able to blind Joe with light reflected off his swords, then causing a damaging blow to Golden Cradle. In defeat, Joe congratulates Van for his win, expecting nothing less from an Original Seven Armor. Joe is pleased that he was able to buy his Comrade some time, and activates Golden Cradle's self-destruct sequence. He gifts his sacrifice to his Comrade, noting that his death will prevent Van from acquiring any new information on his Comrade. Where the Goodbyes Are: Michael tells Wendy that he sent a letter back to Evergreen telling her that he was alright, but she must of missed it. He says that he should have asked Mr Lutz* to deliver her the message when she stayed with him. *Mentioned only Personality On the surface, Joe was an unassuming man with an outwardly considerate and kind visage. He showed kindness to Van & Wendy during their say at his resort. He was soft-spoken and seemingly quite wise, giving helpful advice to both Van & Wendy regarding their situations. However, his kind exterior was used to hide his true motives; manipulating Van & Wendy to knock them off course and distract them from pursing The Claw. He was fairly successful in that regard, making both question if they were on the right path. Joe showed the utmost loyalty to his "Comrade", even willing to destroy himself to prevent Van from getting any information out of him. Gallery joe01.png|Joe spots Van & Wendy Ep703.png Ep706.png joe02.png Ep707.png Ep709.png joe03.png joe04.png joe05.png|Joe in his armor joe06.png|Injured joe07.png|Joe before his death Joeconcept.png|Concept Art Category:Males Category:Armor Riders Category:Characters Category:Antagonists